This Japanese Cult-Favourite 7-11 Egg Sandwich Is Coming To Canada. We Tried It
Photo illustration by Aimee Nishitoba.
If you're an egg-salad sandwich purist, you'll know that small changes can make a big difference in the experience of eating one: the egg-to-bread ratio, what kind of mayonnaise is used and additions like vegetables and herbs. The bare-bones nature of this sandwich makes it an excellent vehicle for precision and replication, which is perhaps why 7-Eleven's Japanese-style tamago sando has become such a beloved convenience store product. Available only in Japan until recently, this Anthony Bourdain-approved sandwich with a cult following launched in American locations last December and, as of next month month, will be available in Canadian stores as well.
With a dense egg salad filling and soft milk-bread base, the Canadian version differs from both the American and original Japanese recipes. Benny Cheng, executive chef at 7-Eleven Canada, spent nearly a year looking for Canadian suppliers that could manufacture and provide the sandwich's signature shokupan-style milk bread (a fluffy, softly sweet white bread) and kewpie mayo (made with whole yolks and a tangy vinegar blend), then tinkered with the ratio and seasoning. Without getting into recipe specifics, he says that the Canadian egg sando has a slightly larger filling-to-bread ratio, is seasoned a little more strongly than the OG version and is made with cage-free eggs. The American counterpart has retained its crust, while in Canada the sandwich is crustless.
Chatelaine got an early taste of the tamago sandwich, which will be available in Canadian 7-Eleven locations across the country as of March. Our editors' verdict? It was soft and creamy with a pleasantly dense texture to the egg salad itself; the boiled eggs were chopped and still very present in the filling.
"I really like a egg sandwich where I can get a clean bite, and this sandwich does that," says one editor, who also appreciated the faint sweetness of the kewpie mayo. The one drawback? Not enough bread! A couple of editors noted they expected plusher slices based on their previous experience with dishes like shokupan toast and milk bread sandwiches.
At $6 a sandwich, however, we're not complaining. They'll be available in 7-Eleven locations nationwide as of March 4.
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Chantal Braganza is a writer and editor living in Toronto. She is deputy editor, food at Chatelaine, a cookbook nerd, lover of vintage dish ware, and currently training for yoga teacher certification. Her first book, Story of Your Mother, is out with Strange Light Press.
